ESL Pro League Season 22 sets record for average viewership
From 28 September to 12 October, Stockholm hosted the final season of the largest Counter-Strike championship, ESL Pro League Season 22. Leading esports teams competed for a prize pool of $400,000. Team Vitality (pictured) won, defeating Team Falcons in the grand final. That is the team’s ninth trophy in 2025, including victory in the previous ESL Pro League season. At the same time, the average audience rating set a new record for the championship.
27 million hours of viewing
ESL Pro League broadcasts consistently attract some of the highest viewing figures: this season racked up 27.1 million hours, and the grand final attracted 631,000 concurrent viewers. The average audience for the tournament reached 219,400 people, setting a new record for the championship, according to Esports Charts.
This season saw rapid growth in the streaming ecosystem. The number of unique channels increased by 40% thanks to multi-streaming and new casters. YouTube took the lead, accounting for 42% of total viewing time, up 7% from last season. The French audience also grew, helped by Kevin Brawks Georges’ stream during the Gentle Mates team’s performance.
Season 22 favourites
The world’s best teams competed for a prize pool of $400,000, with Team Vitality securing a confident victory, defeating Team Falcons 3-0 in the grand final.
As in traditional sports, esports teams represent specific countries, bringing together the best players from around the world. Team Vitality includes players from France, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Estonia. Team Falcons, representing Saudi Arabia, has assembled an international roster with players from Bosnia, Denmark, Serbia, and Japan.
A distinctive feature of esports is that teams represent the global community of a particular discipline, such as FaZe Clan. In particular, FaZe Clan and Brazil’s FURIA advanced to the semi-finals and playoffs, respectively. Despite leading the rankings, the new Mongolian team, The MongolZ, failed to advance to the playoffs after losing to Natus Vincere.
The organisers held the tournament in the usual format, adding a match for third place.
The growing influence of the Counter-Strike community
The 22nd season of the ESL Pro League not only gave viewers exciting matches and unexpected twists but also demonstrated the growing strength and diversity of the Counter-Strike (CS) community. With record audiences and outstanding performances from the leaders, the season once again confirmed the ESL Pro League’s reputation as one of the premier arenas for CS competition.
By 2025, the CS esports scene will have continued to grow rapidly, leaving the esports events calendar saturated. BLAST Bounty Spring launched the year in Copenhagen, the CS Asia Championships boosted the region’s competitive presence, and the Thunderpick World Championship unites elite teams in Malta. ESL Challenger League nurtures young talent, while CCT Season 3 spans Europe and South America, expanding the global reach of CS.
These tournaments not only maintain a high level of competition but also reinforce CS’s status as the leading esports discipline at the moment.
ESL Pro League goes to Poland
ESL organiser FACEIT Group recently announced the venue for the 24th season of the ESL Pro League finals in 2026. For the first time in seven years, the event will be held in a live arena – Arena Spodek in Katowice, Poland. This decision followed the relocation of the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) tournament from Katowice to Krakow in 2026. ESL is realising its ambitious plans to bring the ESL Pro League playoffs back to the stadium.
The 24th season of the ESL Pro League will run from 24 September to 11 October 2026. Teams will compete for a total prize pool of $1 million and the coveted trophy.
The event organiser and the city of Katowice are looking to expand their partnership to host more events in the future. The arena is already known for hosting some of the most memorable events in esports history.
Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice, calls his city a symbol of global esports and Spodek its temple. He welcomed the league’s return to a live audience format and the choice of this city as the venue for the finals, calling it a sign of trust.
This article was first published in Russian on 16 October 2025.
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